The Other Half of History Daily Blog

This is the sixteenth in my series of posts about the five businessmen the History Channel profiled in a terribly inaccurate and un-historical TV miniseries titled The Men Who Built America. I’m writing these posts in response to several comments and e-mails from TV viewers who have expressed interest in a more accurate version of the story. (Click here to see all Al’s columns on the program and its subjects.)

Post #16: Carnegie Builds Cars and Bridges

The late 1860’s were a busy time for Andrew Carnegie. As the war was ending Carnegie resigned his position with the Pennsylvania Railroad to focus his energies on a handful of companies, mostly transportation and communication related, in which he held substantial blocks of stock.

This is the fifteenth in my series of posts about the five businessmen the History Channel profiled in a terribly inaccurate and un-historical TV miniseries titled The Men Who Built America. I’m writing these posts in response to several comments and e-mails from TV viewers who have expressed interest in a more accurate version of the story. (Click here to see all Al’s columns on the program and its subjects.)

Post #15: JP Morgan Goes from Riches to Riches

American history is replete with inspiring stories of people who grew up in poverty or near-poverty and went on to achieve great financial success. John Pierpont Morgan’s story is not one of these.Continue reading »

This is the fourteenth in my series of posts about the five businessmen the History Channel profiled in a terribly inaccurate and un-historical TV miniseries titled The Men Who Built America. I’m writing these posts in response to several comments and e-mails from TV viewers who have expressed interest in a more accurate version of the story. (Click here to see all Al’s columns on the program and its subjects.)

Post #14: John D. Rockefeller Decides on Oil

In 1863 twenty-four year old John D. Rockefeller entered the industry that would define his life. He was blessed with exceptional foresight, and he predicted several crucial things about the oil business with such confidence that he was able to bet his career on all of them coming true. In each case he was right.Continue reading »

This is the thirteenth in my series of posts about the five businessmen the History Channel profiled in a terribly inaccurate and un-historical TV miniseries titled The Men Who Built America. I’m writing these posts in response to several comments and e-mails from TV viewers who have expressed interest in a more accurate version of the story. (Click here to see all Al’s columns on the program and its subjects.)

Post #13: John D. Rockefeller Gets His First Job

In 1855 John D. Rockefeller went looking for his first full time job. By training, talent, and inclination he was a bookkeeper, but few businessmen in 1855 Cleveland were willing to entrust their books to a sixteen year old. Times were tough, and older and more experienced applicants were available.Continue reading »

This is the twelveth in my series of posts about the five businessmen the History Channel profiled in a terribly inaccurate and un-historical TV miniseries titled The Men Who Built America. I’m writing these posts in response to several comments and e-mails from TV viewers who have expressed interest in a more accurate version of the story. (Click here to see all Al’s columns on the program and its subjects.)

Post #12: John D. Rockefeller Grows Up Poor

John Davison Rockefeller was born on July 8 of 1839 in Richford, NY. At the time of his birth, railroad trains had been operating in the US for about eight years. JP Morgan was two years old, Andrew Carnegie was not yet four, and forty-five year old Cornelius Vanderbilt was operating a fleet of steamboats in and around Long Island Sound. William Ford, future father of Henry, had been in the United States for three years and was still unmarried and struggling to make a living.